1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a system and method that manages backups of computer systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method that manages backups of servers that use a virtual input/output environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) is software that is located in a logical partition. This software facilitates the sharing of physical I/O resources between client logical partitions within the server computer system. The VIOS provides a virtual storage (e.g., SCSI) target and shared network (e.g., Ethernet) adapter capability to client logical partitions within the system, allowing the client logical partitions to share SCSI devices and Ethernet adapters. The VIOS software is often installed in a logical partition that is dedicated solely for the VIOS' use.
Using the VIOS benefits the computer system in various ways. These benefits include sharing of physical resources between logical partitions on the system, creating logical partitions without requiring additional physical I/O resources, creating more logical partitions than there are I/O slots or physical devices available with the ability for partitions to have dedicated I/O, virtual I/O, or both, maximizing use of physical resources on the system, and helping to reduce the Storage Area Network (SAN) infrastructure.
However, while the use of a VIOS is highly beneficial in a computer system, its use is not without certain challenges. One of these challenges is encountered when a client of the VIOS backs up virtual storage to a network-accessed backup server. To perform a backup using a traditional VIOS, the VIOS client (e.g., a server running a Linux™ or AIX™ operating system) retrieves data included in its virtual storage through the VIOS and sends the same data to the backup server with the data again passing through the VIOS since both the network adapter and the storage adapter are virtualized and provided by the VIOS. This type of backup activity can create a bottleneck in the channels used to transport the data between the VIOS client and the VIOS. This bottleneck can lead to lower system throughput and less efficient use of system resources. What is needed, therefore, is a system and method that reduces traffic between the VIOS and a VIOS client when the VIOS client is backing up data to a backup server.